1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus, and more particularly to electrical connection between a handle unit and a main unit of the image pickup apparatus equipped with the handle unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In image pickup apparatuses, such as a video camera, large-sized image pickup apparatuses include a type equipped with a handle unit used for shooting and for carrying the image pickup apparatus, and image pickup apparatuses of this type include one configured such that only the handle unit is made removable, by taking into account accommodatability, operability, and like other properties of the apparatus. For example, there has been known an image pickup apparatus configured such that the handle unit is mechanically connected to two handle fixing portions of the image pickup apparatus main unit at respective front and rear locations, and one of the handle fixing portions also serves as an accessory mount (see. e.g. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H05-292367). Further, there has also been known an image pickup apparatus configured such that a removable handle unit has operation switches and an audio terminal.
Conventionally, in such image pickup apparatuses, operation switches and like other components and the image pickup apparatus main unit are connected by externally exposed wires. Such a connection method can achieve firm and secure mechanical mounting of the handle unit. Further, the handle unit has not only the merit of facilitation of shooting from a low angle, but also the merit of improvement in transportability and accommodatability by making the handle unit removable from the apparatus main unit.
In the image pickup apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H05-292367 has the aforementioned two handle fixing portions provided on the apparatus main unit and two mounts provided on the handle unit.
In this image pickup apparatus, the handle unit is positioned in vertical, horizontal, and rotational directions with respect to the apparatus main unit by the mounts, and at least one of the mounts is provided with a slider which is movable in the horizontal direction, whereby the handle unit is latched on the apparatus main unit in a front-rear direction. This makes it possible to fix the handle unit to the apparatus main unit in the front-rear, vertical, horizontal, and rotational directions in a state in which the handle unit is mounted to the apparatus main unit.
Further, in recent years, to improve operability during shooting from a low angle shot, many of image pickup apparatuses have operation switches, such as a zoom switch and a trigger switch, disposed on a handle unit thereof. In this case, since operation signals are transmitted and received between the handle unit and the apparatus main unit, it is necessary to electrically connect the handle unit to the apparatus main unit.
However, since the handle unit is generally held by hand during shooting and carrying of the image pickup apparatus, the above-described connection method suffers from a problem that a terminal-associated part, such as the accessory mount having electrical contacts or audio terminals, may receive so large a force that the terminal-associated part cannot withstand the load of the applied force, and be broken. Further, the image pickup apparatus which connects the electrical contacts by externally exposed wires has problems of inconvenience in wire handling, troublesomeness of mounting and removing the wires, an increase in the size of the image pickup apparatus due to the wires, and so forth.
Further, due to the locations of the electrical contacts in the handle unit, depending on a signal path of signals supplied from the handle unit to the apparatus main unit, within the main unit, an audio signal as a faint analog signal may be affected by noise, which may degrade signal quality.